Gasol spurns Spurs, headed to Chicago

LAS VEGAS — Pau Gasol, the Spanish big man who had emerged as the Spurs’ top free-agency target this summer, appears headed to Chicago, according to multiple reports late Friday.

Yahoo! Sports and Marca.com, a Spanish news site, separately reported that the deal with the Bulls is all but sealed.

Details of the deal are unclear, but it was believed a sign-and-trade agreement between Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers — the team with which Gasol spent the past 6 1/2 seasons — would be too complicated to consummate.

In the absence of a sign-and-trade, or some other bit of payroll gymnastics, Chicago could offer Gasol a deal identical to what the Spurs had available, starting at the mid-level exception of $5.3 million.

Gasol, 34, is a four-time All-Star who won championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. He rejected an offer Friday that would have kept him in Los Angeles, apparently preferring to play for a team in contention for a championship. In Chicago, Gasol will join a frontcourt that includes Joakim Noah, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and Taj Gibson, last season’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up.

The Bulls also expect to get point guard Derrick Rose, a former league MVP, back from a second catastrophic knee injury next season.

Viewing Gasol as a perfect fit for their internationally-flavored system, the Spurs had dreamed of pairing him with Tim Duncan to create a Twin Towers redux. It appears that dream will not come to fruition.

It is not immediately known where the Spurs turn from here. Two free agents from last season’s championship roster — forward Matt Bonner and center Aron Baynes — remain on the market. The Spurs’ might next move to re-sign them.